Anon Krm 4VIII
Rory McTurk (ed.) 2017, ‘Anonymous Poems, Krákumál 4’ in Margaret Clunies Ross (ed.), Poetry in fornaldarsögur. Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages 8. Turnhout: Brepols, p. 724.
text and translation
Hjuggu vér með hjörvi.
Heðins kvánar varð auðit,
þá er vér Helsingja heimtum
til heimsala Óðins.
Lögðum upp í Ívu;
oddr náði þá bíta;
öll var unda gjálfri
á sú roðin heitu.
Grenjaði brandr við brynjur
bensildr; klufuz skildir.
Hjuggu vér með hjörvi. {Kvánar Heðins} varð auðit, þá er vér heimtum Helsingja til {heimsala Óðins}. Lögðum upp í Ívu; þá náði oddr bíta; öll sú á var roðin {heitu gjálfri unda}. Brandr grenjaði við brynjur, {bensildr}; skildir klufuz.
‘We hewed with the sword. The woman of Heðinn <legendary hero> [= Hildr (hildr ‘battle’)] was at hand when we brought the people of Hälsingland to the dwellings of Óðinn <god> [= Valhǫll]. We proceeded up the Ífa <river>; then the sword-point managed to bite; that whole river was reddened by a hot surge of wounds [BLOOD]. The sword roared on coats of mail, [as did] wound-herrings [ARROWS/SPEARS]; shields were cloven. ’
notes and context
[7-8]: Noteworthy here is the reversal at the end of the couplet of the order in which qualifying adj. and noun are placed at the beginning (öll … á, gjálfri … heitu ‘whole ... river, surge ... hot’), giving an impression, when the lines are read in sequence, of criss-cross chiastic patterning (adj./noun, noun/adj.). As de Vries (1964-7, II, 40 n. 68), notes, these two lines seem to show the influence of ESk Elfv 1/4-5II, which, when read in sequence, show the same positioning of noun and adj., though without the chiastic ordering: Elfr varð unda gjalfri | eitrkǫld roðin heitu ‘The bitter-cold Götaälv was reddened by the hot surge of wounds [BLOOD]’, i. e. Elfr … eitrkǫld, gjálfri … heitu ‘Götaälv ... bitter-cold, surge ... hot’ (noun/adj., noun/adj.).
readings
- [1] Hjuggu vér með hjörvi: abbrev. as ‘Hiug. ver med h᷎.’ 1824b, Hjuggum vér með hjörvi 6ˣ, LR, R693ˣ, abbrev. as ‘H. v. m. h.’ R702ˣ
- [2] Heðins kvánar: so R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ, ‘heidíns kvanarr’ 1824b, ‘Heidnis kvanar’ with ‘Hiedins’ in margin 6ˣ
- [2] auðit: ‘andit’ LR, R693ˣ
- [3] vér: om. 6ˣ, R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ
- [3] Helsingja: ‘helsingin’ LR
- [4] heimsala: heimsala with ‘Heimdala’ in margin 6ˣ
- [5] Ívu: so R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ, ‘modo’ 1824b, ‘moþo’ with ‘ifu’ in margin 6ˣ
- [6] oddr: so R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ, ‘fiodr’ 1824b, ‘fiødur’ with ‘Oddur’ in margin 6ˣ
- [8] á sú (‘asv’): ‘A su’ with ‘asuer W’ in margin 6ˣ, ‘a̋sver’ R702ˣ, ‘asuer’ LR, ‘Asver’ R693ˣ
- [9] Grenjaði (‘Greniade’): so R693ˣ, ‘Greíníarr’ 1824b, Gveimar with ‘grenia þa’ in margin 6ˣ, grenjar R702ˣ, ‘greniada’ LR
- [9] við: í R702ˣ, LR, R693ˣ
- [9] brynjur: ‘brynu’ LR
- [10] bensildr klufuz skildir (‘bens hilldr klufuzt skillder’): ‘Bens hilldur klufust skillder’ with ‘Bensilldur klufu skilldi Worm’ written below line 6ˣ, bensildr klufu skildi R702ˣ, LR, ‘Bensildur klaufu skýldi’ R693ˣ
sources
Text is based on reconstruction from the base text and variant apparatus and may contain alternative spellings and other normalisations not visible in the manuscript text. Transcriptions may not have been checked and should not be cited.
-
NKS 1824 b 4° (1824b) — 79r - 79r
.
images
†heidíns kvanarr† varð auðit,
þá er vér Helsingja heimtum
til heimsala Óðins.
Lögðum upp í †modo†;
†fiodr† náði þá bíta;
öll var unda gjálfri
á sú roðin heitu.
†Greíníarr† brandr við brynjur
bensildr; klufuz skildir. -
AM 6 folx (6x) — 86v/10 - 86v/20
Hjuggum vér með hjörvi .
images
†Heidnis kvanar† varð auðit,
þá er Helsingja heimtum
til heimsala Óðins.
Lögðum upp í †moþo†;
†fiødur† náði þá bíta;
öll var unda gjálfri
†A su† roðin heitu.
Gveimar brandr við brynjur
†Bens hilldur klufust skillder†; . -
UppsUB R 702x (R702x) — 29r - 29r
.
images
Heðins kvánar varð auðit,
þá er Helsingja heimtum
til heimsala Óðins.
Lögðum upp í Ívu;
oddr náði þá bíta;
öll var unda gjálfri
†a̋sver† roðin heitu.
grenjar brandr í brynjur
bensildr klufu skildi; . -
Worm 1636 (LR) — 200 - 201
Hjuggum vér með hjörvi .
images
Heðins kvánar varð †andit†,
þá er †helsingin† heimtum
til heimsala Óðins.
Lögðum upp í Ívu;
oddr náði þá bíta;
öll var unda gjálfri
†asuer† roðin heitu.
†greniada† brandr í †brynu†
bensildr klufu skildi; . -
UppsUB R 693x (R693x) — 6r - 6r
Hjuggum vér með hjörvi .
Heðins kvánar varð †andit†,
þá er Helsingja heimtum
til heimsala Óðins.
Lögðum upp í Ívu;
oddr náði þá bíta;
öll var unda gjálfri
†Asver† roðin heitu.
Grenjaði brandr í brynjur
†Bensildur klaufu skýldi†; .
editions and texts
Skj: Anonyme digte og vers [XII], H. Krákumál 4: AI, 642, BI, 649-50, Skald I, 317; Rafn 1826, 4-5, 99-103, Pfeiffer 1860, 124, CPB II, 341, Wisén 1886-9, I, 62, Krm 1891, I, 225, Finnur Jónsson 1893b, 86, Finnur Jónsson 1905, 153.
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